My Favorite Animated Films.

I saw Up this past weekend,
which inspired me to rank a list of my favorite animated flicks so far (I must emphasize that these are my favorites & not what are technically considered the best).
I've divided 'em into two categories of 2-D & 3-D animations.



2-D Animation (however, there are some included here that contain some aspects of CGI):

Runners up:
- Pinnochio
- Atlantis
- Jungle Book



15. Wonder Woman (2009)
Princess Diana as a female bad-ass.
While it may seem that she should be a staple in any conversation dealing with femme fatale butt-kickers, IMO, she had never been fully depicted as the bad-ass at the level which she had the potential to be.
Then, I picked up this recent straight to DVD feature, & came to the conclusion, that even though it may not yet be at the point that I'd like to see her at, it is a huge step in the right direction.
The Double W may still be in the form of a cartoon,
but in this latest interpretation of the Amazonian wunder, she is finally approaching the bad-ass broad with balls that she should've always been.




14. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1992)
For a long time, I used to think that I was the King of Sinful Sots.
Then I saw this.
And I realized that compared to this guy, I'm just a moldy purple spot
on the dead tomato splot that is his heart.
You are the true rotter,
Mr. Grinch.




13. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
These types of animated movies that're spun-off of equally animated TV series, are usually ones that I don't hold much hope for.
Therefore, I was quite surprised at not only how much I enjoyed this big screen adaption the Bruce Timm little screen episodes, but also, at how I found it's story to be better than many of those of the TV program. Walking out at the end of Phantasm, I actually found myself feeling like the giant comicbook nerd that I truly am, but for years, had denied myself of truly being.




12. Princess Mononoke
Eastern folklore & environmental symbolism meet head on, anime style, in this richly textured & complicated fairy tale .




11. Memories
A trio of animated shorts that I like basically for the same reasons that I stated for Heavy Metal & The Animatrix.
I really enjoy the format of an anthology, because, as it is demonstrated here in Memories, it allows for a wider choice ideas of stories that probably wouldn't be big enough to fill up an entire movie.
It also allows for a bit more risk in the creativity of the plot, without having to commit all the time of work that it would take to make a full length feature that is dependent on the tastes of a wider audience.




10. Titan A.E. (2000)
This movie showed us where the big-budget animated features were going not just commercially but artistlcally also. And even tho you can notice some clunkiness to some of the computer-generated areas & the way there were fitted into the story (especially compared to today's films), the drawn parts are of the highest quality (for it's time) &, for me, still come off as quite visually impressive.
One of those moments that I'll always remember being in the theatre & just being totally visually amazed by what was on the screen.



9. Spirited Away (2001)

Really cool childlike fairytale visuals with a level of creativity that reminds us why mythic tales fascinated us so much during our young ages, yet with enough of a few dark undertones to keep the interest of that part of our spirits that were crushed by the reality of becoming an adult. Fantasy fun with a slight twist of macabre for the whole family.



8. Heavy Metal (1981)
This is one of those entries that show why I focused this blog more on my favorite animated films instead of what are generally considered "the best".
One of the most important moments growing up for me as a huge comicbook nerd was the discovery of Heavy Metal, an anthology comic-magazine full of fantasy, futuristic and/or the emergin cyber-punkologic stories that were not restricted by those imposed upon more immature superheroic fare.
When the movie came out, even though it lacked the technical strength of more general-audience targeted animated features, in it I saw the potential for the kind of creative diversity & no-holds barred story telling that I had experienced in the magazine. It is definitely flawed, & even more definitely not for everybody, but it is, a vehicle for anyone interested in looking for something that is not the same ol' same ol' & with an interesting anthology theme whose rock'roll/sci-fi/animated integrated format is bound by neither PC rules or those that result from the more-kid-targeted genre.



7. Steamboy (2004)
Katsuhiro Ōtomo's follow-up to his landmark feature, Akira. And the visuals on this thing are insane.
Some of the tightest integration between CGI & 2-D animation on film.
The detail in this movie is just about about perfect, and it's English language version was treated exceptionally well, so that the dialogue flows alot more smoothly than the translations that are found in most other anime films.
Multiple viewings are required to just capture & appreciate all the beautifully intricate designs.
Plus, one of my favorite things about Steamboy, is the way that, even though the human figures are still drawn in the typical manga style, there's still a strong more western "realism" to the caricature element to their design, that it adds alot more weight to their forms. The end result is that it allows them to integrate into the multi-dimensional visuals so that their simplicity is not so overwhelmed by the deeply designed backgrounds.



6. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)

A simple story of a simple girl who discovers that she can simply leap thru time. But instead of using her powers for good, or even for evil for that matter, she uses it in a manner that we all wish we could if we were so magically endowed (especially if we were her age): to make up time when we were late, to retake exams we didn't study for, to get to our favorite snacks in the fridge before our annoying little siblings got the chance to polished 'em off, etc..
Which all leads up to a simple coming of age story that is as simply & beautifully told as it is simply & beautifully animated.
Simply put, simply beautiful.



5. The Animatrix (2003)
(This movie has one short story that computer-generated, but otherwise, the great majority of it is 2-d, allowing for it's placement into this category.)
Many years earlier, I watched a movie called Heavy Metal. And though it lacked the technical & story skills required to make it something really worth mentioning, I did see in it a potential for an interesting anthology series whose rock'roll/sci-fi/animated integrated format was bound by neither PC rules or those that result from the kid-targeted genre.
Then came the Animatrix & showed us (well...me, at least) what that potential could look like.



4. The Iron Giant (1999)

Just when I thought that my hairy pimp-ass had finally reached a point in life that was hardcore enough that even the idea that I could get misty over a movie-ending was, for me, about as far on the otherside of the street, that it was in anudder 'hood, dawg.
Then comes along the Iron Giant, & proves me wrong.
And it's not just that it's a movie,
but even worse, it's an animated movie.
A cartoon.

Whenever I watch the scene with the line " ....Superman.",
I always find it quite difficult to refrain from repeatingly dabbing at that "something in my eye" that starts to become annoyingly persistent.
Damn.
This movie makes life hard out here for a pimp.


3. Sleeping Beauty (1959)
At it might become obvious from this list, when it comes to 2-D animated films, I'm that big of a fan of Disney. While I don't hate 'em, the musical numbers combined with saccharine quality that usually accompanies them usually makes it difficult to sit thru their entirety. Sleeping Beauty is a bit of an exception because of the memory I have associated with it.
I remember watching this movie as a very young child, and the kickassery of the animation, particulary of the Witch & her dragon, caused my little mouth, for probably the first time ever, to uttered the words
"Holy sh#t....!".



2. Akira (1988)
My first look at anime. Well, kick @ss anime that is.
When I first saw this, I realized that, if I didn't have to work, I would spend all of my time lookin' up at what those crazy asians were concocting on the animation tip, yo.



1. The Triplets of Belleville (2003)
Also known as Belleville Rendez-vous.
As an illustrator & cartoonist, I was surprised at how close this flick was to the style of drawing that got me interested in the field to begin with. Gritty yet beautifully rendered, cartoonishly exaggerated yet realistically animated. I could look at artwork like this all day.

Plus, even though it is a foreign film, it has no dialogue in it, at all. And therefore, no need for sub-titles. So if some bizarre accident occurs (heaven forbid, of course) whereby that part of your brain that's responsible for reading becomes inexplicably cancelled out, you'll still be to watch & enjoy this flick.




Films in this category that I have not seen yet but plan to (eventually):
- Grave Of The Fire Flies
- Waltz With Bashir
- Fears In The Dark




3-D Animated (in the form of computer-generated or stop-motion):


15. Waking Life (2001)

Philosophical musings accompanied with expressionistic graphics of computer-generated "paint", overlayed on top of life-action.
And if that description is hard to understand, then let me instead say that Waking Life is definitely not a kid's film.
Or for those who watch films exclusively so that they can turn their brains off.
A unique movie-enjoying experience when approached with the right frame of mind.



14. Cars (2006)
The story in Cars really isn't too stong, the characters, while a worthy effort, aren't very memorable, and just the very concept of a universe of cars talking doesn't lend itself very well as a consistent idea in believability, no matter how much suspension is put into one's belief.
However, the visuals on this thing are insane.
After watching Cars, it truly boggles the mind of where computer graphics will be in twenty, or even in just ten years from now.



13. Monsters Vs Aliens (2009)
A tribute to all those 50's black & white sci-fi horrors flicks, but now in cool 3-D-like computer graphics. And in full color.
The graphics are absolutely top-notch,but some of the sheen has been lost due to the fact that they're also something that I'm sure viewers are pretty much starting to become accustomed to by now. And teen-agers today, let alone the more targeted little kid audience, will barely, if at all, get any of the connections to Attack Of The 50 Foot Woman, Black Lagoon & the like.
Now don't get me wrong. I think that this film comes off as entertaining enough, but to some, it may feel like it came out a fews years too late.



12. Finding Nemo (2003)
As good as the story was in this Finding Nemo (and a it was a story I did like) the world of the undersea looked just so beautiful in this flick, that it felt like this Nemo's story could've used more of an extra punch, just to meet the same high level of quality in the graphics.
And if it's seems like I'm being picky with this film, it's only because I think that while it's a solid feel-good family-fare that was very good, it's one that had the potential to have been great.



11. Toy Story (1995)
The first computer movie that showed how sophisticated graphics can be intergrated into a really good, & solid story, that emphasized the warmth & color that was starting to become more & more "faded" in the tired 2-D animated family films that movie producers had seemed to be tiredly cranking out at the time.



10. Coraline (2009)

As a comicbook nerd, I first became aware of Coraline as a graphic novel written by comicbook writer Neil Gaiman (though, it's original format of release is as a novella).
It's horror fantasy for young readers and as a film, it's a fine modern update of the Alice In Wonderland theme, with it's mixed ingredients of creative psychodelica, slightly edged childlike wonder, along with a nice dash of horror, but just enough to gurgitate a lump of fear in the throat of the kiddie audience within its targeted age. But not so much that it would scare any of it's viewers to the point of absolving their parents of any responsibility for any trauma that might lead 'em up to the top of a building with a sniper gun, later on in life.
At least, one would hope.



9. Kung Fu Panda (2008)
Alot of the same stuff I said for Wall-E, though Kung Fu Panda has enough of it's own style to stand away on it's own. I don't think that the story was told as successfully as Wall-E's, but the next level of the "anthropormorphic" facial expressions & the characteristics of the movements reached in this film seem to make up for it. The humour for Panda is displayed as much in the way the characters move & "act" as it is in the jokes in the script.
(Quick side note: This year I also watched the two Appleseed movies on video. And looking at the evolution of these two anime films just made a few years ago, coupled against the more westernized works such as this years's entries of Kung Fu Panda & Wall-E , I truly feel that we are living during a good time in the making of 3-D animated features.)




8. Wallace & Gromit in The Wrong Trousers (1993)
Stop-motion with a British flavor, that doesn't try to whack you over the head with it's look, humor or more importantly, with any kind of "universal life-lesson".
It's distinction from other animated films is much more subtle and evenly consistent, that the overall result left me not so much with a roaring laughter that other animated features try to shoot for, but more with a satisfying smile that was firmly set in place from beginning to end.



7. Up (2009)
A cranky old man & an annoying little kid team up with a talking dog & a flightless giant mother bird named "Kevin",
to embark on an semi-Indiana Jones type of adventure.
Colorful, but not overwhelming (like Cars or Speed Racer),
touching, but not over-sentimental,
exciting, but not at the cost of the story.
Another score for the people over at Pixar.



6. Ratatouille (2007)

The idea of combining the points of views of both rodent & restauranteer made this a great vehicle for using sharper & more creative angles in the storytelling that could only come closer to perfection through the use of this medium. It really added a great flow of dynamicism to the story. For my money, it's where the heart & beauty of this film is.



5. Appleseed Ex Machina (2007)

So far, the most updated amazing computer animation in any animated feature.
Simply put, the computer-generated visuals in this film truly have to be seen in order to be believed.
However, even though the story is solid, as the sci-fi epic that Appleseed's visuals aspire to be, it does lack some originality in it's plotline. It is for this reason, combined with the indistinguisnness of the faces (as is usually common for most 3-D anime) that prevented this film from being ranked higher on this list, despite the fact that the graphics are, so far, some of the most favorite that my eyes have ever laid upon.
That said, there wasn't a frame in this movie where I just wasn't completely stunned with awe. The technical details & intricate designs in Ex Machina are some of the most striking ever to be generated on film.
Iron-Man's armor looks like it was created by Fisher-Price compared to the hardware that these guys are wearing.
A true marvel to behold.



4. Monster House (2006)
A personal favorite.
Even though the animation in Monster House doesn't have the chance to get as creative as comp.-animated movies that focus on non-human subjects, they do very well with what they have. The facial expressions are choice quality & the movements during the action sequences are both smooth & dynamic. For what it is, the story is well done, the characters are engaging & the action scenes are very high in the area of thrill. I found that for me, this movie flows with the same roller-coaster ride that was felt with some of those high quality Spielberg-ish action flicks of the 80's.



3. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Is it a Halloween movie with a Christmas twist, or a Christmas movie with a Halloweenic slant? Or is it both?
For me, I look at it like discovering that your trick-or-treat bag has been filled with presents instead of candy.
And no rocks. Well, maybe one coal.
IMO, Tim Burton's best work with his name on it, by far. Such a great cast of characters. Innocent enough for kids who can still see the world thru bushy-tailed bright-eyed glasses, yet twistedly dark enough to keep the interests of those of us adults who've had that part of our spirits crushed a long time ago.
A holiday movie for all ages on either side of the perspective spectrum.



2. WALL-E (2008)

It seems like these days, every season, an animated movie comes out displaying the next level of computer-generated visuals. For me, it's this film & Kung Fu Panda. While not so surprising in that I (we?) expected the details in the graphics to be as detail & realistic as they were, it's still quite stunning to behold. WALL-E is a futuristic story that involves themes of loneliness, environmentalism, technological over-dependence & the effects of idleness on the soul of humanity when it is stripped away from the natural strife of life.
And even though these are all themes that are ones we've seen many times before, it's still quite surprising how often & consistantly filmmakers are able to intergrate the amazing graphics into the quality of the storytelling in a manner that seems fresh & keeps the messages from feeling too cliche. At the rate that these types of highly sophisticated computer animated flicks are being released, it's remarkble that the ratio has been so much more good than bad.



1. The Incredibles (2004)

One of the best voice castings for the lead roles I've seen (or is it heard?) & it has a great story, full of charm, wit & family chemistry. I always thought that Hollywood never seem to be able to put out 100% in any feature dealing with superheroes, but they really did with this one. The effects are incredibly cool, the over-all visuals are stunning & the characters are all drawn with an equally high level of quality & dynamicism (.... is that really a word?). Added with the "Jack Jack Attack" story on the DVD, & I know that it will probably be a long time before the family "I's" get dethroned from #1 on my list.




Films in this category that I have not seen yet:
- Monsters Inc.
- Toy Story 2